Review by Brian Hawkinson

I’ve used different copies of Quicken in the past. Premiere 2004 and 2007 and Starter 2010. So I am fairly experienced with Quicken and have always enjoyed their software. Premiere 2012 delivers and I love the ease of use, even more easy that the previous 2007 that I had (although I haven’t used it for quite a long time). I love the ease of getting a look at all my credit cards, bank accounts and investment account at a glance, knowing right away where I stand financially. Additionally it is extremely easy to see where you are spending all your money and where you can save by minimizing your spending in that problem area (alas, mine are books and games. I really need to reduce this area). I haven’t used the Bills or Planning yet, and probably won’t as I don’t really use this for those purposes.

Also, I’ve seen a lot of reviewers complaining about ads and the fact that the software is only good for 3 years before Intuit shuts that version off. In regards to the ads I can’t say that I have found a single one, except for the Wells Fargo logo that appears when I run an update. As for Intuit shutting down the software support I kind of agree to a certain extent. If I buy something I want to be able to use it until I am done with it, not be forced out of using it in order to have to buy the current copy. That being said after three years I am sure there are improvements that I wouldn’t mind obtaining as well as design, both visually and mechanically, that would make the software easier to use. Buying the software once every 3 years isn’t so bad and I don’t mind it.

The only con I have found, and this was a lot in the Starter edition and has only happened once so far in this edition, is that randomly the update won’t update certain accounts. Sometimes it goes for a few days to a week before it will finally update. This is a little annoying to say the least, but it always seems to correct itself and go back live. Besides the fact that this is essentially the only financial software available I would definitely recommend it.

4 stars.